Cheraw Mountain Bike Trail
Length: 9 miles
Type: Mountain Bike Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: Starting at the trail head, follow the blue blazes in a clockwise direction on a predominately sandy surface through a mixed forest of pines and hardwoods. Because of the sandy content, this trail is a good one to visit when others are wet and muddy. You won’t find this to be a very technical trail, but one that is fast; with enough ups, downs, and twisting turns to provide a good workout. Pay close attention to the trail markers, because you will intersect with many unpaved roads. You may encounter wildlife such as deer, snakes, and wild turkeys on the trail during your ride.
Cheraw Nature and Turkey Oak Trails
Length: 2 mile loop, 4.5 mile loop
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: Cheraw Nature Trail is an easy 2 mile walk, which is the inner loop of the larger 4.5-mile Turkey Oak Trail. Pick the distance you want, for both trails offer you a pleasant walk through a very dense forest of longleaf pine, blackjack oak, turkey oak, hickory trees, and closer to the ground, native irises called Blue Flags in the spring, and rose pogonia orchids in the summer. As you walk you may also be treated to some the common South Carolina wildlife, such as lizards, deer, snakes, and a vast assortment of birds. A short spur trail offers a chance for you to see the rare red cockaded woodpecker. If you chose to continue on the Turkey Oak Trail, you will enter a cypress swamp as you approach Lake Juniper, where you may see waterfowl such as ducks, egrets, geese, and pied billed grebe. You may also be treated to a wide array of raptors such as bald eagles, ospreys, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, and Mississippi kites.
Boardwalk Trail
Length: 0.5 miles
Type: Hiking Trail
Difficulty: Easy
Description: Starting from the parking area in the Cheraw State Park, this easy walking out and back boardwalk trail takes you out onto the lake to the Lake Juniper Dam. Near the end of the trail you will cross the spillway where the rushing water creates a soothing "waterfall effect." You will see waterfowl such as ducks, egrets, geese, and pied billed grebe. This is a popular area to see five-lined and ground skinks, yellow-bellied slider and painted turtles, banded water snakes, and the endangered pine barrens tree frog. You may also be treated to a wide array of raptors such as bald eagles, ospreys, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, and Mississippi kites. With care you can leave the trail and continue down stream for some distance. At times there are suds in the water like snow drifts. These suds are the result of natural formed soap when leaves decay.
First Day Hikes